All the Best Cowboys
by tistrust
Summary: All the best cowboys have daddy issues. Karl and David are not exceptions. Based on the TV mini-series. Set during the mini-series.
1. Chapter 1: Karl is a Dick

All the Best Cowboys

Summary: All the best cowboys have daddy issues. Karl and David are not exceptions. Based on the TV mini-series.

AN: I have no knowledge of Dinotopia past the mini-series. Probably a series of missing scenes and character studies and backstory, there is so much missing backstory.

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Karl was a dick. David had always thought so and would have to make it a point to make sure Karl knew that he was a dick. If Karl hadn't cheated on the test then David wouldn't have been angry and said all that crap he didn't mean. Then Karl wouldn't have pushed him and they wouldn't have started fighting and fallen ten thousand feet towards their watery grave.

Which only reminded him: Karl was a dick. Because Karl completely knew David was afraid of heights and had asthma and couldn't swim very well. So Karl had to combine every stupid thing David was bad at and push them off a balcony.

Then David hit the water and all thoughts about his dick of a brother passed from his head. He slammed down, in what might have been the most epic belly flop of all time. It was cold and it hurt. All the air was knocked out of him and he automatically tried to pull in a breath, except it was all cold water. He choked and tried to swim up, unable to breathe and panicking. Except it was all white water, he couldn't tell where the light was coming from and had spun so many times that he was too dizzy to be able to know which way gravity was pulling him. David kicked and reached with his arms. He tried to go with the current, use its momentum to help guide himself to the surface but nothing was working.

The water was getting fuzzy and he knew his kicks weren't as strong as they were. He could barely move his arms anymore when he felt something snag the back of his shirt. He was pulled towards the glittering surface and after what felt like an eternity, he broke the surface. David took a short, shuddering breath and immediately started coughing. Water spilled out his lips with every cough.

Arms slipped around his chest and David heard murmuring. It was comforting even though he couldn't exactly tell what was being said.

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	2. Chapter 2: Big Brother

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The sky was dark and the trees seemed to suck all the light faster than it should. But at least Karl had been able to gather enough firewood and start the damn thing before it really sunk in.

Davey's skin was cold to the touch and Karl couldn't tell if Davey was even breathing. There was the slightest hint of blue on Davey's lips and Karl knew they were in for a world of trouble.

Karl tried to check his brother's pulse. His fingers fumbled across Davey's throat trying to figure out how to place his fingers. He'd seen it millions of times in movies, just a two fingered touch on the side of the neck and he would be able to tell. But Karl couldn't seem to find it. Karl takes a deep breath, trying to calm the clamoring in his head, the quickness of his heart, and tried again. This time he felt slowly across Davey's cold skin. There it was, slow, too slow, but steady.

Karl let go of a breath he hadn't known he held. "Damn it, Davey. Don't scare me like that."

Karl kept his fingers on Davey's pulse and shifted around until Davey looked slightly more comfortable against rocks and wet dirt.

He knew what was wrong. Davey was in shock and he probably had a concussion. But Karl didn't know what else he could do besides getting Davey warm. He sighed and plopped down next to David. He tipped David against his shoulder, hoping that would create a bit more warmth. He watched their small fire, knowing he would soon have to find more wood. Dry wood was hard to find, the whole place seemed to constantly covered by a fine mist. He felt even worse when he realized he'd have to leave Davey alone again.

He didn't trust Dinotopia. Everything was different and strange and he just wanted to go home. He wanted Davey and their dad to be all right. He wanted for all this to be some terrible, yet incredibly detailed, nightmare. But nothing he wanted would change the fact that his brother was possibly slipping into a coma getting closer and closer to death against his shoulder.

What kind of brother was he?

He cared deeply about Davey. He knew he did. Everything he did since they got here was for him. To make sure they would both be alive and able to go home. Together. But it seemed like David fought him at every step. Like David would rather spend forever here than leave. He knew David never exactly fit in at home, but they were going to start living together. They were going to university at Dad's alma mater. Dad had found an apartment they could share, with bedrooms on opposite sides and a large living area. Karl had known it would be a rough start, but he was looking forward to getting to know his brother better.

Karl must have drifted to sleep. When he opened his eyes, the sky beyond the tree tops was a dark grey. Just enough light to see by, but definitely early morning. Karl carefully checked Davey's pulse. He found it this time with some difficulty, and it seemed no different from last night.

Karl sighed. He felt David's forehead, checking for any change in temperature, but his skin was still dry and cool. Karl fidgeted; he had no idea how to fix this. He gently propped David against the rock and got up to collect wood and some water.

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	3. Chapter 3: Stories Told

Chapter 3: Stories Told

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Davey was under the kitchen table, flipping through a picture book. Mommy had dressed him up so that he could go out with Daddy and Karl. He had already eaten breakfast and had been sitting with his backpack next to the door. Then Davey got bored and crawled under the table. He was nearing the end of the book when the phone rang.

Mommy picked it up before it rang a second time.

Davey lifted the table cloth a bit, just enough that he could see Mommy.

"Where are you?" Mommy said.

She had been washing the dishes and still held one of the blue rags in her hand.

"You can't keep disappointing him like -" Mommy walked away, towards the living room but the house was quiet and Davey could hear everything. "I don't care about what happened last time, you're supposed to be spending time with your son."

Davey scooted closer to the table leg. He dragged his book after him. It was the one Daddy had got for his birthday and he had wanted to show Daddy how much of it he could read.

"Frank, I'm not going to tell you again," Mommy said, her knuckles turning white around the rag in her hand. "If you can't make him a priority, you have no right to be part of his life."

Mommy slammed the phone back into the cradle and sighed.

Davey crawled out from the table, dragging his book with him, and stared up at Mommy. "He's not coming." Davey said.

"No, he's not." Mommy kneeled down next to him, her flowery dress spread across the off white tile floor. "I'm sorry, baby."

Davey frowned and threw the book on the ground. "He's a liar."

Mommy smiled at that, like the way she smiled when she was mad with someone else but didn't want them to get mad. "How about we go out instead?"


End file.
